LWV  Toledo-Lucas County
Advocacy  Positions

2022-2023

Election Reform

• Supports election reform that guarantees no citizen is disenfranchised.
• Supports reforms to ensure that the Lucas County Board of Elections exhibits responsible management of elections including adequate and continuous training of poll workers, fair and equitable distribution of the population among polling places and precincts and voting machines within precincts, as well as thorough and accurate counting of all votes.
• Supports election reform that promotes sufficient pre-election planning to mitigate long election lines and provides post-election evaluation of each election.
• Supports legislation that will permit the appointment of qualified electors who are not members of either of the two major political parties as precinct judges and election officer.
• Supports reform that promote best practices in voter education.
• Supports reform to eliminate the purging of voter rolls based on non-voting.
• Supports activities that stop voter suppression and increase voter turnout both through our own efforts and through actively seeking partnerships with other organizations with similar goals.
• Supports same day voter registration and automatic voter registration.

Local Government Reform
           Supports adequate, fair, and equitable funding for local government programs, infrastructure, and services.

The Environment

• Supports organizational, financial, and technical methods of preventing environmental pollution.
• Supports cooperation and coordination among governmental agencies and the private sectors involved with water management, air quality, toxic waste issues and land use that include the principals of smart growth and public participation in land development decisions plus other services not pertaining directly to the environment, such as economic development.
• Encourages personal responsibility toward environmental conservation through public awareness and education.
• Supports efforts to protect the Lake Erie watershed for recreation, commercial fishing and as a source of drinkable water for municipalities through regulation and legislation. 

Education

• Encourages all schools receiving public funds to be accountable to the public through elected officers and to comply with state education standards.
• Supports efforts to prevent students from being bullied and ensure that all public schools are welcoming to all students of all gender identities, races and ethnic backgrounds.
• Encourages our elected officials to make it a priority to pass legislation for equitable and adequate funding of public education for all children in Ohio.
• Supports state education standards that support academic freedom and a safe environment to teach.

Domestic Violence

• Supports community programs to prevent violence and to support victims. 
• Supports the active role of government and social institutions, through education, in preventing violent behavior, and by offering legal, social, and healthcare programs to stop domestic violence.
• Supports adequate, fair, and equitable allocation of public monies for these programs. 

• Supports making universal healthcare a reality in Ohio.
• Supports local cooperation and coordination among local governmental agencies and medical providers to expand programs for the uninsured and underinsured. 

Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Services

• Supports the principle that children under the age of 18 are not adults and that their treatment within the juvenile justice system should relate to their stage of development. No child should be held in adult prisons or detention facilities.
• Supports the use, development, and coordination of local diagnostic and treatment resources for children at risk as well as juvenile offenders.
• Supports programs assisting youth who are transitioning from foster home placement to the adult world.
• Supports the development of a comprehensive county system of children’s services for the prevention and treatment of problems in children at risk, including juvenile offenders. Such a comprehensive system would require the intentional collaboration of families, schools, libraries, and other community agencies and the courts to use the resources of the extended community to give each child a continuum of care and education.
• Supports an individualized plan for children under the age of 18 and their families who are involved in the juvenile justice system for rehabilitation. 

Responsible Gun Ownership

• Supports universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons, secure containment of firearms in the home and elsewhere, limits to the number of rounds in a magazine, limit to the number of magazines able to be purchased and training in order to carry a gun.
• Supports eliminating loopholes for the sales of firearms at gun shows. 

Campaign Finance

           Supports methods of financing political campaigns to ensure the public’s right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enables candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.         

Advocacy Positions 2022 - 2023